Chive-Mustard Vinaigrette

Chives are so wonderful and definitely underused in my kitchen. They have such delicate flavors that add the perfect touch of onion to any dish. Usually when I make a vinaigrette, I make my go-to Creamy Basil recipe, but after my mother-in-law gave me some leftover minced chives from our Easter supper, I had to put them to good use!

 

Hello Fresh {Review}

After having such a great experience with Blue Apron, I have totally become sold on the concept of boxed meal delivery services. So when I found a coupon code for Hello Fresh giving me $30 off, I had to give that one a try too!

HINT: If you download their app on your phone, use the code FRESHAPP at checkout to get the $30 off!

It couldn't hurt to get 3 meals for 2 people for $39 instead of $69, right?!?! That's only $6.50 per serving! You can't even eat take-out for those costs. I know this because the other day I went to get take-out for lunch and a salad cost me $8!!! And it wasn't even a good salad. It was just an okay salad. So if I can have a healthy, fresh and fun dinner...then heck yes I'll try it!

Prior to the delivery arriving we were given five options of meals to chose from and got to pick three of those for the week. Dusty and I selected:

• Lemony Pan-Seared Chicken with Pesto Potato Salad and Peas
• Fiery Pork Fajitas with Blistered Peppers and Guacamole
• Jamie's Oozy Zucchini Risotto with Buffalo Mozzarella and Fresh Basil

There were two other options that week of: Salmon en Papillote and Lasagna Penne Bake. We chose the three recipes above because they sounded the most interesting and unique out of the group, plus I wanted to try the risotto since it was a Jamie Oliver recipe. He contributes one recipe each week and they all look fabulous and a notch above the rest!

Fresh Horseradish Cream Sauce

One thing that has been on Dusty and my "to-do" list for the longest time is to make homemade horseradish. What sparked our interest was a  year or so ago we watched an episode of Good Eats where Alton Brown made a horseradish cream sauce to accompany an oyster dish he was featuring. Forget the oysters! After drooling through the entire episode, we both agreed that we needed some fresh horseradish in our lives. The only problem was that we have been unable to find fresh horseradish up here at any of our grocery stores since watching that Good Eats episode. Therefore, our dream of many freshly grated horseradish and creamy horseradish faded away to the back burner.
 

Our First Blue Apron Experience

Is it just me or does it seem like groceries are costing more and more with each passing week? I remember when we lived in Billings a few years ago that we could get by on $80 a week for a weeks worth of groceries and have some really great meals. Then we moved up to the Hi-Line and it seems like our grocery bill doubled overnight. Besides inflation, it must have to be so ridiculously high due to the fact we are out in the middle of no-where. Grocery shopping use to be one of my favorite activities to do each week and now it has just become depressing. I walk out of the store each time irritated and frustrated that I've spent that much on food for a small family of three. The sad thing is, I'm not the only one...most people I talk to around this area say they spend anywhere for $150-200 a week at the grocery store....yikes!

Enter Blue Apron.

When I first read about Blue Apron, I initially thought it was a frivolous and luxury service. Three meals for two people costing $59 a week sounds like a lot of money. But the more I crunched the numbers and read reviews, I thought this could actually save us money as well as provide three extremely fresh and healthy dinners each week. So we gave it a try....

Forgive the pictures please....I used Snapchat for taking pics :/

Baby Food 101: Introduction

Nolan started eating baby food at approximately 5-1/2 months old. We knew he was ready because he would try to steal food off our plates, stare us down while we ate and tried to take any food or drink out of our hands. We took that as a huge sign of being ready to have baby food!

First we started rice cereal and basic purees such as apple, pear, green beans, peas, banana, etc. Nolan loved them all! Then we advanced to combination purees such as pineapple pear, mixed veggies, pumpkin apple, etc. Basically Nolan has tried and loved any combination of baby food out there. He is not a picky eater at all (Hallelujah!)

Crock-Pot BBQ Spare Ribs

It's funny how major holidays and events revolve around large quantities of meat. Thanksgiving has turkey. Christmas has prime rib. Easter has ham. Every holiday has a specific meat that is the centerpiece to the holiday feast. In the world of farming, the end of harvest deserves a huge celebration and our choice of meat is barbequed pork.  



Apple Sunrise Slaw

 

 

Coleslaw is one of my all time favorite BBQ side dishes. The crunchy veggies with the cool creamy dressing pair so wonderfully with the savory and saucy meat. Besides eating the slaw as a side dish, it makes the perfect condiment to pulled-pork sandwiches. Yum!  

Soft Cranberry Pistachio Cake Cookies

What could be more festive for the holiday season than these cookies????
Green pistachios, red cranberries and white chocolate chips complete the Christmas color trifecta. Not only do these cookies look pretty, these flavors blend beautifully together to make one awesome cookie.

You know what makes these cookies even better???? Cake mix. I can't tell you how much I love cookies that are made from cake mix. I remember once making chocolate crinkle cookies from Paula Deen and being sold on using cake mix for my cookie dough. Paula always knows what she is doing. The cake base to these cookies makes them so unbelievaly soft. Plus it's an awesome baking shortcut! 

Thankful

You can't help but sit back and reflect about the past year whenever Thanksgiving rolls around. In the past 365 days, so many things have happened and my life has changed so much thanks to the arrival of my son. Here are some things I'm thankful for....

• My Husband
• My love. My best friend. We have been together for 8 years now and I've loved every moment we have been together. We are new parents and surviving every sleepless night and dirty diaper together. I'm thankful that he is such a wonderful father to Nolan, and best friend and supporter to me.
• Nolan
• My little man. My baby boy. My sunshine. So much joy has been brought into my life since his birth. I'm so thankful for a smooth pregnancy, uneventful birth and easy transition into motherhood. I'm thankful he is a healthy boy, loves cuddling his mama, sleeps through the night and brings joy to everyone around him.

• My Mom
• I'm so thankful for all the over-the-phone support she has provided me since Nolan's birth. I've called at all hours of the night or day with random questions about babies and she has helped me all the way, even while being 4-1/2 hours apart. I enjoy our FaceTime chats with Nolan and love that you bring a smile to his face despite the distance.
• My Job
• I'm thankful that by working nights and being able to self-schedule, that Nolan doesn't have to be in daycare....which is huge to me! I love that my son sleeps while I'm gone and I'm home while he is awake. I'm thankful to my supportive co-workers and for all that they have taught me to help me become a better nurse. It may be an intense and emotional job, but I love it and all the people I've met and cared for along the way.
• My Car
• Since 2013, I've suffered from paralyzing panic attacks due to driving anxiety. I didn't even know there could be such a type of anxiety until I experienced it. My little Ford Focus made me feel so unsafe driving on the slick and hazardous roads in Montana. Now that I have a 4-wheel drive SUV, aka the "mom mobile," I now feel safe behind the wheel and my anxiety is gone for the most part, for which I am thankful.
• Family & Friends
• There are too many people to list (otherwise this post would never end!), but I am so thankful to my extended family and friends. The love and support that has been given to Dusty and myself as new parents has been overwhelming. All the gifts, cards, frozen meals and love means more to us than you all will ever know.

Thank you.

Breakfast Sausage Loco Moco

Any time it starts snowing, I instantly want to jump on a plane to Hawaii. Snow cones, fresh sushi and pineapple call my name. Then I snap back into reality and remember that I have an 8 month old, and 6 hours straight on a plane with my little guy would be pure torture. Therefore, whenever I'm missing the island sun, I make one of my most favorite Hawaiian meals....the Loco Moco!

 

 

Traditionally a Loco Moco is served with rice, a big ol' beef patty, fried egg and brown gravy. I've even had a different version that included Mahi Mahi fish (delicious!) at Ken's House of Pancakes in Hilo on the Big Island. They even had loco mocos that included spam, sausage links, chili and corned beef. Basically any protein will do! 

Toffee Cracker Crack

I'm not even kidding in the title when I say this stuff is "crack." This treat is highly addicting and freakishly easy to throw together in a moments notice. Who doesn't have saltines, brown sugar, butter, chocolate chips and pecans in their pantry!?!? I know I always have these 5 ingredients stocked in my pantry. This is now become a problem because of my addiction to crack!

 



Cranberry Glazed Holiday Meatloaf

Sometimes I crave a Thanksgiving dinner but don't want to put in all those hours of work in the kitchen. I know I don't have time to roast a whole turkey, make stuffing and all the fixings on a typical weeknight. Why should all of those wonderful and comforting flavors be experienced only once a year?

This meatloaf will fix any turkey day cravings you may have throughout the year without having to bring out the big guns and defrost/bake a 12 to 20 pound turkey.

Moroccan Beef with Lemon Couscous

A quick weeknight meal that packs a lot of flavor into a simple recipe. Moroccan Beef is a delicious, savory and hearty dish that will make your home smell wonderful with the exotic scents of cumin, cinnamon, and coriander. Not to mention, couscous takes absolutely no time to prepare. Talk about a perfect side dish.

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Chips

For a brief moment in time back in June, I attempted the Paleo diet. I can't remember if we talked about this or not. I lasted all of 12 days with no sugar, no dairy, no grains, no soy, no sweeteners of any kind.

Basically I couldn't eat anything I loved. And it was awful.

Overnight Huckleberry Oatmeal

 

Overnight oats are a quick, hearty and simple breakfast. Combine all the ingredients into a jar, shake, refrigerate and forget about it until the next morning. As a busy mom by day and nurse by night, this is my type of breakfast food.

Buffalo Chicken Bite Skewers with Blue Cheese Yogurt Dip

We are Montana Griz and Dallas Cowboys fans in this household. The Grizzlies because Dusty and I went to the University of Montana (it's where we met!) and Cowboys, because I married into it. I didn't ask to be a Cowboy, but it happened anyways. All in all,  I really could care less about the game itself when it comes right down to it (don't tell my husband!). I'm only at the tailgates and parties for the food. Which is a good thing because both teams are not having a banner year, to put it gently.

What is winning this football season are these spicy buffalo chicken skewers served with this cool creamy dipping sauce! When I think football, I automatically think buffalo wings. These skewers are a less messy but equally flavorful tailgate snack.

Savory Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Halloween was such a blast this year! I can't even tell you the last time I went trick-or-treating. This year was my son Nolan's very first Halloween and we went all out with the Monsters Inc. theme. Nolan was dressed as little Sulley, Dusty was big Sulley and I, of course, went as Mike Wazowski. We went all out and even wore Monsters University fraternity shirts too. I was in the fraternity Oozma Kappa (OK) and Dusty belonged to Roar Omega Roar (ROR). It was so much fun!

Harvest Lunches

Whew! Harvest is over and seeding is under way. Between being back to work at nights as a nurse, dobie-mama, endless loads of laundry, farmwife, and mom to the sweetest baby....you could say life has been just a little chaotic!

During this harvest and seeding season, I have become the jedi-master of harvest lunches. I've even got a system down so that I prepare the next days meal the night before. Silly me thought there would be enough time in the mornings to prepare lunch and breakfast for my farmer, as well as feed and take care of my baby in the morning. All of this before my husband darts out the door to start a full day out in the field. Ha! Yeah right!

By doing the work the night before, I get to stay in bed with my baby and cuddle, all while my hubby gets up at the crack of dawn with breakfast and lunch ready to go. He gets fed and I get to "sleep in" (7:30am). It's a win-win!

During harvest, my husband drives truck while his father works the combine. In this scenario, he gets to park the truck for a bit, which allows for different meals like salads, sandwhiches and such. During seeding, he is maning the tractor, so everything has to be eaten on the go, using just his hands. Therefore sandwhiches only!

Eating regular old turkey and ham sandwhiches can get pretty boring. So my goal as farmwife is to provide some variety and excitement to my farmers lunches. The key to keeping them fresh and not soggy during the long days.....toast the bread! I swear it works! Try it!

Greek Panzanella Salad

Panzanella salad is a lunchtime favorite in our home. I'm not quite sure if this is technically qualified as "healthy" or not because of all the crusty ciabatta bread soaked in a glorious vinagrette. It seems naughty, but it's a salad.....so therefore we will call it healthy!

Greek Cucumber Sauce

....Also known as Tzatziki sauce. Although when I order my favorite "grilled chicken pita with tzatziki sauce" the high school kids at the local drive-in look at me like, huh? Tat-zi, what?!?

Then when I say, the cucumber sauce, all makes sense in the world! I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in town who orders their grilled chicken pita this way too. Whenever I ordered it, my mother-in-law (who works there) will look at the food order ticket and then look out the window to say hi because she knows it's me! Then she will write my name on my food bag with hearts on it, which is my favorite :)

I love this sauce on chicken and salmon. It's also great for dipping veggies. It's super fresh and tastes similar to the cucumber sauce I order with my pita at the local drive-in. It's perfect for those nights I feel like making my own grilled chicken pita at home!